A Tale of Two Titans
by StoryMold
Summary: Two young friends, cursed with mangiven powers, grow up in an orphanage and become fast friends. PG13, Yuri, multiple chapters, TRi, possible RaSt.


**Information:** Teen Titans is © Cartoon Network and the original comic book company. River is © ME, beeyotches. Mine. Not yours. Ask if you want to use her. Do not if you don't ask. Everything else is © whoever owns it/them, because I'm not going to sit here forever and look up every copyright detail for every little thing I've put into the story.

**Summary:** Terra and her young friend River, grow up in an orphanage and become fast friends – they stick together through thick and thin, through good and bad, from now 'till ever. That sort of thing. But just how far will Terra go to show River she's loyal? And how much will River sacrifice to help Terra break away from someone who's eager to use her? (PG-13, Yuri, multiple chapters. T/Ri, Possible Ra/St.)

**Dedicated to:** Chrissy, for seeing past my goofy, fake exterior and seeing the true me, and loving me for it. Laura, for making me laugh, and acting as a bigger sister to me and the rest of our small group. Aero, for reminding me that hyper deeds are nothing to be ashamed of, and for showing me how to pull a few off. Jake, for listening to me when times got rough, and for offering excellent advice that got me back on my feet. Charles, for being my outlet, and for trusting me enough to let me be his, and for being the greatest 'big brother' a girl could ever have. I love you guys. All of you. Thank you.

**NOTE:** The first few chapters detail Terra and River's lives as young girls (ten years old) and they will stay that way until I say otherwise. This is about them BEFORE the Teen Titans, not while they're with the Teen Titans. They will act like children. They will be naïve like children. They will not act like themselves because they have not gone through the things that define them. They will soon enough, though, so enjoy the naivety while you can.

**NOTE AGAIN:** Some people do not agree with my pairings. That is alright with me. They don't have to. They also do not have to read this story. So they can go away now.

**ALSO NOTE:** I know most people hate Terra's guts. They will want to remind me that Terra is encased in stone. I know she's a traitor. I know she's probably dead. But I respect Terra, and with my character and this plot, you will come to see her in the same light that I do.

And my real name is Tara anyways, so I've got emotional connections to Terra. Do not complain, or I will eat your heart.

I will.

I'll do it.

…..I ate a bebbe.

AND NOW, ENJOY.

* * *

They were running.

It was a dream Terra had all the time. Running hard, clothed simply, barefoot. Running through the woods, getting as far away from the old rotting orphanage as she could. And River was there. River was her closest friend; her _only_ friend, the only person who cared for her in that dank prison of an orphanage. And Terra was hers as well. They would be safe if they ran.

River was panting now. There were footsteps behind them. This was where the dream got bad. The part where Terra would always wish she would wake up, the part she wished she never had to watch again. Her wishes were never answered. River tripped. The earth opened up behind them, beneath them, all around them. River reached out for Terra, but she was frozen. And by the time she had mentally slapped herself and leapt to save River…

She was gone.

And _they_ had caught up.

* * *

Terra woke with a start, gasping for air, her pillow wet with tears. It only took her a moment to recall what had happened.

_ The same old dream…_

She groaned, biting down on her bottom lip and shoving her head underneath her pillow. Terra knew what came next. It happened after every dream. The real River would be awake, having heard her friend's cries, and would make her way to Terra's bedside, where she'd sit and stroke Terra's hair and whisper that everything was alright, and that she needed to be quiet or else the orphanage workers would hear and think something was wrong. And Terra would fall back asleep to the sweet smell of River's shampoo as her friend curled up beside her and spoke words of comfort in her ear. But River never came. Terra wondered to herself if she had finally taught herself not to cry out loud, or if River was just sleeping too deeply to notice. She rolled over, shoving herself up onto one elbow to get a look at River's bed.

It was empty. Perfectly made, with her hairbrush lying askew on the small dresser beside it, and her glass of water half-empty. Terra sat up. Her toes knocked against the clipboard hanging on the bars of her footboard; she had already grown too big for her bed (as most ten year old girls do), but no one at the orphanage had expected her to stay this long, either. Most kids were adopted out within a few weeks. _Maybe that's why they brought the new workers in,_ Terra thought to herself as she shoved her blankets off and straightened her raggedy sleep shirt. _They said they were making us special. Maybe they're doing it so we'll get adopted faster._

One day, the owner of the facility (looking quite distraught) had gathered the children together and announced that the orphanage was under new management. She had said that some of them would be undergoing a treatment that would make them unique, and that there would be some new workers coming in to help with the treatments. She had also disappeared later that week, but Terra and the others had assumed she got fired by the new owner. After all, she was a horrid old hag – they only put up with her because they had to. The new owner didn't. The pieces fit, and they accepted it. The workers and the new manager were much nicer than she was, though also very strange. The new workers all wore white coats and white pants and nice white shirts, whereas the older workers wore… well, whatever they wanted.

Terra was highly amused with the new workers. She was always coming up with outrageous ideas for why they had come to the orphanage. Just the day before, she had announced proudly to River over lunch that they were there to turn everyone into zombies and make a giant zombie horde with which they would take over the world. River had told her to start swallowing her food before she spoke, and that they couldn't turn anyone into zombies because they weren't already dead. River was always right, so Terra had to scrap that idea.

She couldn't complain, though. Things weren't so bad under the new owner as they were in the old, although the lack of funds for clothing, furniture, and repairs seemed to be the same. As soon as everyone had gotten used to the idea that the manager was no longer the mean old hulk of a woman they had dealt with before, things ran smoothly. Children were chosen for the treatments. The ones that were chosen were ones Terra and River's age. They were painful, but the kids were given treats and gifts afterwards, so they thought nothing of it. Those clipboards at the ends of the beds were used to mark the days in which treatments were given, as well as the time. The treatments had to be spaced apart, or else the children would get sick, so the clipboards were very important for keeping everyone on schedule. Terra was glad they had them. She was glad for the treatments, too. As soon as she and the others got adopted, things would be much better for them.

A quick glance at River's bed told Terra that her friend's clipboard was missing. That meant a worker had come to get her for another treatment. But why in the middle of the night? Terra frowned, then winced as her feet hit the cold wooden floor. She gritted her teeth, stood, then pulled her sleep-pants off the floor and slipped them on. It never occurred to her that the workers might not want her sneaking around in the middle of the night – she was only worried about finding River. Something didn't seem right. River's treatments always came after hers, and Terra hadn't had one for a couple of days. The blonde thought maybe she had reacted differently, and they had skipped her treatment this time around. But why would they take River this late? Why didn't they do it at her normal time?

The hallway was no less cold than the giant bedroom Terra shared with the other girl orphans. Her feet were used to the numb chill by now. Smothering a yawn with the back of her hand, and scratching her head idly with the other, she shuffled down the hall towards the door that led to the outside.

The orphanage was built on a huge plot of land, far from the city, and the yard around it stretched a couple hundred yards on each side. The new manager had put a giant fence up around its boundaries, one with barbed wire stretching across the top, and told everyone who asked that it was to keep animals out. Terra didn't like that – she enjoyed watching the deer and rabbits from the woods nearby come into the yard and graze by the front door. They never came nowadays. The fence obviously worked.

The new manager had also added a new building onto the side of the older one. It was shiny and had smooth ceilings and concrete floors, and it was where the treatments were given. That's where Terra was going. She just had to walk across the yard and step inside, like she always did. When Terra reached the door, she shoved hard on the metal bar stretched across it ("Stupid thing never works unless you strain to open it", she could often be heard muttering). It popped open, and she stepped out onto the wet grass, sighing with relief as she buried her toes into it. One deep breath, then she continued, idly running her fingertips along the length of the old orphanage's brick walls and counting as many as she could. Fifty five, fifty six, fifty seven… Smooth. She was there.

This door was small, metal, and had a conventional doorknob. Terra slipped inside as soon as she had opened it. She bit down hard on her tongue. This floor was even colder than the one in her bedroom. It didn't help that the air conditioning seemed to be cranked as high as it could go. Slipping her arms into her shirt, she continued, ignoring the odd stares that passing workers gave her. She guessed it was because she looked as if she had no arms. It wasn't.

It took her a few minutes to navigate around the building. She was usually led to a room for her treatments; she had never actually paid attention and learned the route herself. She wasn't even sure where River's treatment room was, but she narrowed the options after she stumbled into the first dozen rooms to find them deserted – or, in a couple of cases, occupied by people doing something she didn't quite understand. (Were they _grunting_? Was that painful? Maybe she should just close the door and walk away… They'll figure it out.) After a couple more empty rooms in a new hallway, ones that looked much like her own treatment room, Terra paused, blinking widely as two bulky workers sprinted down the hall towards her.

"You! You're not supposed to be here!" One of them shouted, reaching for something in his belt. The other slapped him on the hand, received a look of hatred in response, then grabbed Terra roughly by the arm.

"I'm just here to see River!" Terra protested, looking as if she were going to burst into tears. The first man took her other arm, shooting his partner a questioning look. He had no idea who Riverwas - did he?The second shook his head. Of course not. Why would he take the time to learn all the kids' names?

"Nobody's allowed in the building after-hours unless they're being specially treated or trained." The second spoke gruffly, hauling Terra down the hallway and past the rooms she had been scouring. Terra twisted around, trying to get a look at the hallway behind her, but the man shook her roughly and she stopped. Past metal doors, so many metal doors, so quickly that Terra was beginning to feel sick. Then, she was outside once more, feet touching the grass, breeze ruffling her sleep-shirt and her messy bed hair. She whirled around to try and get back in, but the man slammed the door shut, and Terra saw in the dim moonlight that the doorknob's lock had been switched into place. The blonde child sighed, slumping in defeat. She kicked the door half-heartedly, shot it a look of disgust, then headed back towards the main building, heart in her throat. Only people who were being specially treated or trained? Then why was River there? She'd never be able to go back to sleep now….


End file.
